Stronger Than Love
by aragorn88123
Summary: Sequel to Life or Love. A war was raging and Rick and Jonathan were called to serve their countries. Evy and Jenny are kidnapped and Rick and Jonathan must save them. The end has come. Chapter 8 has been fixed
1. Chapter 1: LIfe Without Them

**Stronger Than Love**

Brief Description: Sequel to Life or Love. How will Evy and Jenny cope without their husbands and will Jonathan and Rick make it back home alive?

Disclaimer: I do not own all the characters you read about in this story. Steven Sommers owns most of them.

Author's Note: Please, I am begging you, don't get on to me because I have changed time around. The war that I refer to is not the Korean War. I made this war up.

**Chapter 1: Life Without Them**

Evy and Rick had just been married, Jonathan and his wife Jenny were going to have a baby but during the reception Rick and Jonathan got the news that they were wanted by their countries military for active duty. A war had been brewing, for some time now, between America and Korea. America was asking for able bodied men to help settle the dispute when two of America's ambassadors were shot and killed by Korean soldiers. America turned to Britain for help and they agreed to send soldiers to help relieve the Americans, however, British soldiers were overwhelmed by soldiers and America stepped in to help. Thus Rick and Jonathan were called to a war they knew very little about. As the years wore on, Evy and Jenny became more fearful for their husbands lives.

"What do these high government people think they're doing, sending people in like that?" Jenny said as Evy and herself watched the war rage on.

"I don't know but I hope Rick makes it back here alive. I would also like to see my brother walk through that door and make some stupid comment." Evy was use to seeing the scrolling marquee saying that 17 Americans were lost but they were always named afterward. Evy and Jenny had been receiving letters from both their men telling them that they were still alive and were looking forward to coming home.

"When do you think they'll send them home?"

"I have no clue. I hope soon because I really miss Rick's arms around me and even his snoring." Evy snickered a little but became straight faced when she saw the body of a brown haired American who had been shot to the point of being unrecognizable. "Oh my god!"

"That's not Rick. It can't be him." Evy started to cry which was the counter effect of what Jenny was hoping when she said that. Just as Jenny was being convinced that it was Rick the marquee said that a solider named O'Connell had been awarded the Metal of Honor for saving 7 British officers and 5 American officers from behind enemy lines.

"Don't they give that medal to men who have died?" Evy asked.

"No. You can be alive and still get the Medal of Honor." Jenny said not really sure if it was true.

Just after that was a marquee that a man named Carnahan had received the Purple Hart for a bullet wound to his left shoulder. Jenny was the happiest person in the world when she saw that he was going to be sent home due to the wound in his shoulder. She couldn't wait to see him again and hold him as tight as she could.

"Not to be harsh but why could Rick get one of those and come back home?" Evy was about ready to explode.

"I know what he is doing. He is trying to get his time in the Army down so he can make his way home. He is taking dangerous missions to get the time down." Jenny said after she had finally figured out Rick's plan.

"So he is willing to kill him self just to get back home to me. In a way that is a little sweet and romantic." Just after she said that they heard the phone ring. Evy got up to go answer the phone knocking thousands of tissues off her lap. Ever since Rick left and she heard about the war she couldn't stop crying. When she answered the phone she couldn't believe who was on the other line. Rick was calling from an airport in Tokyo, Japan.

"Hey honey. They are sending me home! I'm in Tokyo right my way home." Rick said wanting so much to be home to kiss his wife.

"Why are they sending you home?" Evy asked puzzled by the actions of the United States government.

"They said that I have served my time and I can return home. We have to be careful getting there though because some Korean soldiers have been known to kill people at international airports. They watch every airport from here to California."

"Wait a minute, you have to go back to America?"

"Yes so my commanding officer and the war department can sign me out of the military. Then I hop on a plain in California that takes me to D.C. then New York and back to you."

"Well be careful on your way here. Rick, I love you."

"I've been waiting to hear that ever since I left. I love you too. It will be 6-7 days before I make it back there."

"Alright. I guess I'll see you then. Bye hun." Evy hung up the phone before Rick had the chance to say good bye.


	2. Chapter 2: The Plane Tragedy

**Chapter 2: The Plane Tragedy**

As Evy woke up day after day she couldn't help but remember what Rick had said. He would be back in 6-7 days. She wondered why it was going to take so long. After 2 days Jonathan came home in a sling and had his medal on his uniform. Jenny couldn't have been happier but Evy, although glad he was home, really wanted Rick to be with her. Jonathan knew that Rick was going to be delayed and wouldn't be home for at least another 5 days. He hadn't called or let Evy know that he was alright. She was getting worried that something had happened to him on his way to California but was trying to look on the good side of things, Rick would be home in another 5 days and that's all she need to know to make her happy again. On the fourth day, news came to Evy that was to her dismay the worst news ever.

"Over Hawaii today, a Plane crashed into the ocean carrying 47 American soldiers who were suppose to be coming home to their families. The Plane was hit by an anti-aircraft missile before it landed at the island of Oahu. So far no survivors were reported found and officials are saying there is no chance of finding any. The majority of the wreck has sank to the ocean floor." After hearing all this from the reporter, Evy wanted to cry. The only thing that was keeping her from crying was the thought that it was another play and Rick wasn't on it.

3 days after the crash, Evy couldn't believe it. There had been 4 more Plane crashes and Evy was losing hope that Rick would make it home with out a wooden box. Jenny was also starting to get nervous about it. She was starting to think that her brother was at the bottom of an ocean or in a mangled, burned Plane wreck. Then the door bell rang and the only one that felt like answering it was Jonathan. Jonathan had an emotional moment with his sister, not that he was crying over Rick or anything, but he was comforting her when Jenny was away on business. He did, however, hope that Rick would make it home soon. He told Jenny the night before that he couldn't deal with all the emotion that his sister was laying on him. As he opened the door he started to believe that there was a god and he had brought Rick back to the door of his house alive.

"Oh thank god you're here. I'm glad your alive! Evy's been all emotional ever since she heard about the 5 Plane crashes that have been happening since the war." Jonathan gave Rick a firm hand shake with his good arm, he was still a little sore from being shot.

"I don't want you to tell Evy that I'm here. I want to surprise her for our anniversary."

"What are you talking about? You just got married over 7 days ago, you don't have an anniversary."

"Not all anniversaries are about marriage, Jonathan. It's our 1 year anniversary since we met. I'm going to be taking her out to the restaurant where we had our first dinner tonight."

"You mean London Café?" said a voice from behind him. He knew the voice and missed it every day since he left.

"I guess my surprise is ruined now. Hi my beautiful wife." Rick walked to Evy and kissed her for at least 30 minutes before pulling away.

"Wow. I have been longing for that for a long time now. I was so worried that your Plane was one that had fallen from all this war and anti-aircraft rounds but some how I knew you would come back to me alive." Evy kissed Rick again but pulled away and stood there in his arms. She wanted to stay there for the rest of her life.

"So do you want to go to the café or would your rather stay home for our anniversary?"

"I want more than anything to just stand here but if I had to choose between café and staying home I would have to say stay home. I know it's our anniversary but you've been gone for so long I don't know what it's like to sit beside you watching T.V."

"I'm ok with that if you want to stay home. It would be a good change of pace for me after all that flying and the walking through Korea that I did. By the way I brought something home for each of you." Rick pulled out his sack and opened it to retrieve various object that he had bought in Korea. He gave Jenny a Korean made dress that had a golden flower sown in the stomach area. Jonathan received a gold box that Rick had stolen from an enemy camp to return to a village but the Elder of the village refused to take it back because Rick had done so much to get it back from the enemy that the Elder gave it to him for his bravery. Evy was given the most expensive gift of all. It was a necklace made from 24k. gold and a pendent that had a Korean inscription on it with a diamond in the center. The inscription, translated into English, said "love is forever".

After everyone had received their gift from Rick and had thanked him, Jenny pulled Jonathan away to give Rick and Evy some time alone.

"How was Korea? I know it must have been pretty bad, what with getting shot at and all but when you were out in the villages." Evy asked trying to bring a good subject up.

"Korea is a nice place if you don't make anyone mad. Half the villages that we went to had people that kicked us out because we were American and they didn't want anyone to know that they had Americans in their camp. Most because they didn't want to get shot or killed for it." Rick wasn't really in the mood to talk about Korea. He wanted to talk about how Evy did without him but the subject never came up.

"Did you know anyone that were in the Plane crashes in the Pacific?" Evy knew this was a bold move seeing that if he had know them she was probably bringing up bad memories.

"Of course I knew some of them. Most of them were American and were in my battalion. There was this 18 year old guy that I got along with easily because he had a good since of humor but when I found out that he was on the 2nd Plane that had crashed I told them that I wanted to tell his folks about it because he was like a brother to me."

"I'm so sorry Rick. I didn't know you knew anybody. I thought that they had all of you scattered everywhere around Korea. I hope you…" Evy was cut off when Rick kissed her. This is all he wanted. He wanted to sit there on the couch and make out with his wife. He kissed her for 5 minutes before she pulled away and got up. She smiled and pulled him up from the couch and led him to their bed room.


	3. Chapter 3: The Mystery

**Chapter 3: The Mystery**

The next morning Rick woke up and rolled over expecting his wife to be there. She wasn't there this time but in her place was a note written in her hand.

Dear Rick,

I have gone to Egypt on an expedition alone. I need alone time to think things over between us. I know that we haven't had problems but I wanted to think about where we are going in this relationship.

Love,

Evy

Rick sat there and thought _this isn't like Evy to just run from me without telling me first._ All this just seemed to odd for Evy's normal behavior. Why would Evy run off without telling Rick. That's when it hit him, get a copy of Evy's handwriting and compare it to the note that was written by 'her'. He had gotten the idea from watching so many CSI, and other detective type shows. He ran down to the kitchen where Evy always left him a list of things to do but there was no list so he knew that Evy had not left by herself. The list was the most important thing to her next to saying good bye to every body. It gave Rick plenty to do when he was home by himself or wanted to go shopping with Jenny (shopping with Jenny didn't happen very much because usually Rick would say he was going then come up with something that let him stay home and sit on his butt).

"Jonathan! Evy's missing! Do you know where she is!" Rick was yelling at the loudest volume he could so it wasn't to long before Jonathan woke up.

"What do you mean she's missing? Did she leave you a list of things to do?" Jonathan knew about the list because he would make fun of Rick on a normal basis for doing things that a woman told him to do. Jonathan would also get smacked on a normal basis for saying something about it, not by Rick but by his wife.

"No Jonathan! That was the first thing I looked for after I read this." He handed Jonathan the note that 'Evy' left this morning.

"This isn't like Evy. She would have at least told you or Jenny where she was going. Jenny!" Jonathan went back into his room not remembering seeing Jenny this morning. If any one was to check on Evy it was Jenny. As soon as Rick said that she was missing Jenny would jump all over it.

"That's what I thought after I saw the note. You wouldn't happen to have a scrap of paper that she had written something on? Perhaps a letter or something? Wait, the letters she sent me." Rick ran to his room and couldn't find any of her letters to him.

"Jenny's missing! And there was a note." Jonathan handed Rick another note. The note was about the same except it said that she went with Evy to Egypt instead of her going on her own. It explained that Jenny was going to follow her to find out where she was going.

"Do you have any of your letters with you?" Rick asked wanting to hear a yes but to no avail did he get one.

"They are missing. I already checked for them and they weren't where I put them." Jonathan was getting just as worried as Rick was. Jenny and Evy both would have told their husbands where they were going even if they had to wake them up. Then Evy would write a list of things that Rick could do with his free time. Neither of which had happened as I have already written so in the conclusion Rick went to the police for help.

When Rick came back home he had been followed by two police who wanted to see the notes and any place that the women might have been. A detective had been one of the two police officers. He had found several signs that they had walked out together and walked out on there own free will. Then he saw a set of tracks that did not mach Rick, Jonathan, or either of the other tracks that had been left by a woman of about Evy and Jenny's weight. It was a total mystery, no one knew who could have entered the house without disturbing someone else then it hit the detective.

"Was it possible that your wife heard the sound then your wife heard her and they went down together to see what it was? When they entered the room here they were met by a man at the door how either had a gun pointed at them or told them a lie about something and took them away?"

"It's possible because I am a heavier sleeper then Evy is and Jenny usually gets up when she does so they might have come down together. Whether or not the man had a gun I do not know."

"We will get to the bottom of this sir. I will assure you that we will find your wives." With that the detective and officer left the house. All Rick and Jonathan could do now was hope that they were found safe and sound.

"I'm not waiting for police to find them. I am going after my wife." Rick got up from the couch and went to his room to start packing. He was going to go to Egypt to figure out if she was there or not. He would first check the airport then all hotels in Egypt if he had to.


	4. Chapter 4: A Note From No One

**Chapter 4: A Note From No One**

Rick went up to the room to pack his bag and started to think about the possible places that Evy could be. The first place he would check before actually leaving London would be London Airport. If Evy or Jenny had bought tickets or were caught on camera the airport would know. If that hadn't been the case Rick would assume that she had gone to Egypt and leave immediately to get there. He would check every major hotel first then hit the smaller hotels. As he went down stairs to get his coat on, Jonathan just sat there. If anyone was to go after their sister, Rick figured Jonathan would. He didn't make a move to get up at all. He sat on the couch watching TV and laughing about the comedian that was doing stand up.

"Jonathan, are you not going to get up and go after your wife and sister?" Rick was kind of frustrated that Jonathan was doing nothing.

"Where do you suppose we should look? If they had been kidnapped, which is most likely the case, the kidnapper would have bought the tickets ahead of time or when they got to the airport. Then if they were somehow incredibly stupid, the kidnapper would have bought a room in the hotel by themselves. Why would they be that stupid to make Evy or Jenny to pay for everything?" Jonathan had several good points but Rick wouldn't just sit there while the police took their time with finding them.

"All that may be true, Jonathan, but I am going whether it is or not. What if this person wants us to find him or her to try and kill us when we come to the rescue? I know it sounds extremely bad but we've had extremely bad before and we always come out on top. If I just sit here like your doing and Evy's found dead then I would know it was my fault because I haven't done anything to help her or to find her. Evy and Jenny are all I have at this point so I'm going to make sure I find them before the die if that is the intentions of the kidnapper." Rick picked his bag up and walked toward the door.

"Wait. I see your point and I will go to help you find them. What if they are already dead?" Jonathan walked upstairs to pack before Rick answered his question.

After Jonathan had returned with his bag in hand and his coat on they left for the airport. As soon as they arrived a man at the door was holding a sign that had Rick's name on it.

"I'm Rick O'Connell." Rick walked up to the man cautiously to make sure the man wasn't going to pull a gun on him.

"I was told to give you this message." The man handed Rick a folded sheet of paper.

"Who's it from?" Rick opened the message and read it waiting for the reply.

"I don't know. He didn't give me his name. He gave me the slip of paper and $30 for delivery." The man walked off and Rick finished the letter.

"Jonathan, we have to get on Flight-140 to Egypt in 20 minutes. Here's a note from our kidnapper." Rick handed the note to Jonathan and Jonathan recognized the handwriting from the letter that was left at the house.

"It's the same person that left the letter on Evy's pillow back home. What is this about going to Egypt? Why is this person paying for our tickets?" Jonathan was baffled because with the letter was two tickets to Egypt on a flight that left in 20 minutes as Rick had said.

"They didn't. If you look on the ticket it's in Evy's name. He did make Evy pay for the tickets and left two for use. This person wants us to find him." Rick walked into the airport and went to the gate where the flight would be taking off from. When they were called to get on the plane, the woman behind the desk took their tickets and gave Rick a second note.

Dear Mr. O'Connell,

If you have received this letter it means that you have followed instructions and your suspicions. When you land in Egypt you will go to the café that is to the left of the gate you land at. A person will be standing outside the café waiting for you. You don't know him and he does not work for me. I have paid him a good sum of money to deliver the message to you. If you follow the message to the exact detail you will be one step closer to finding me. Do not worry about your wife or sister. No harm will come to them and I assure you that they are being well taken care of. The only reason problems will arise is if you have not found me in a certain amount of time. I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

No One

Rick handed the letter to Jonathan and Jonathan was relieved to hear that nothing had harmed Evy or Jenny. Rick and Jonathan boarded the plane and had ordered a couple of drinks to sooth their nerves. They finally landed in Egypt and got off the plane. They turned left of the gate and walked to the first café they found. Sure enough there was a man standing outside it holding a sign that said O'Connell on it. Rick walked to him and said nothing. The man handed the note to Rick and walked into the café to join his friends. Rick opened the note and had found his next set of instructions.


	5. Chapter 5: The Hotel And A Third Note

**Chapter 5: The Hotel And A Third Note**

Dear Mr. O'Connell,

Meet me in the lobby of the Cairo Hotel in exactly 15 minutes. You will meet a clerk who will take you to the lounge where I am at. Waist no time in calling the police because if you are not there on time you will be responsible for the death of your wife. I hope to see you there. I will give you more instructions when we meet.

Sincerely,

No One

Rick did not hand Jonathan the note this time figuring that the notes from now on would be directed toward him. He told Jonathan that he had to get to the Cairo Hotel in 15 minutes and he would meet him in the lobby when he was finished with business. Jonathan agreed to stay behind because he knew that if anybody could handle the situation it was Rick. Rick had done fine on his own as he wondered through the dessert after the battle at Hamunaptra.

"Here take this and find a cab. Remember, stay in the lobby. I would like to do this on my own if that's alright with you." Rick handed Jonathan the money to catch a cab.

"I can't take your money. Besides I have enough to catch a taxi and buy some things that I need from the local market. I'll see you at the Cairo Hotel lobby." Jonathan walked off to the nearest market place to buy food and supplies for him and Rick.

Mean while, Rick had called for a taxi and was on his way to meet the man that had stolen his wife and sister. The taxi ride took a while so Rick had time to think about tactics that he could do to get this person to hand over Evy. He didn't want to try to hard because he knew that if he did the man might harm Evy or Jenny. Rick wasn't willing to push the man far enough to do something drastic.

"Where to my friend?" The cabby asked.

"Cairo Hotel. Can you please hurry? It's kind of urgent." Rick was in a hurry to get to the man so he could figure out how to get his wife back.

When Rick arrived at Cairo Hotel he gave the cabby his money and walked into the lobby. He had almost reached the front desk when a man with a sign asked him if he was Rick O'Connell.

"Yes I am. Are you the one that will be taking me to the man that gave me those letters?"

"No. I am here to give you this note."

Rick opened the note and read:

Dear Mr. O'Connell,

Make your way past the fountain and into the lounge. You will see 3 tables to your left as you walk in. The first is a gentleman and his wife, the second is a politician, the third is the one you will meet me at. You now have 5 minutes to reach me before something goes wrong.

There was no sincerely or any ending to the letter. Rick walked toward the fountain that was in the note then made a left. The tables were seated as the man had said. A gentleman and his wife, a politician, and then the third table was behind a curtain. Rick walked over to the table and there sitting at it was the man that he had been wanting to meet and kill for kidnapping his wife and sister. Beside him sat Jenny, she looked unharmed and well taken care of but Rick wondered why the man had brought her.

"Mr. O'Connell, welcome. I am glad to see that you made it on time." The man had a French accent. Rick couldn't see his face because he was sitting in a dark corner.

"Where is my wife?" Rick looked over at Jenny and was glad to see that she was there but Rick was hoping that Evy would also be there.

"Your wife is safe in my house. I will give you your sister back because you made it on time and I have no use for her. However you must follow these instructions if you want to see your wife. I will allow you to see her but that is all. If you try to take her from me I will have my men shoot her and then you. Are you willing to follow my instructions?" The man picked up a glass and took a sip of wine.

"I will as long as I can see that my wife is ok." Rick gave the man a stern look but didn't know if the man saw it or not because, as I said, he could not see the man's face.

"Your wife is fine. She is in as good of shape as your sister. My instructions are these: you will go to the Great Pyramids. There you will find a tour group and you will join it. The tour group will take you around the pyramids and then to a museum. You will get on the bus but you will not go to the museum. You will take a right from the museum and go into the build that is marked restricted. Inside the building you will find your wife and myself waiting for you. I will leave to allow you to have alone time with her and she will give you my next set of instructions."

"How long is this going to go on before I get my wife back?" Rick again gave the man a furious look.

"It will go on until I say the game is over. Take your sister and meet your brother-in-law in the lobby. He is waiting for you there."

Rick got up and went to the lobby taking Jenny with him. When Jonathan saw that Jenny was by his side he went running toward her. She hugged him tightly and then kissed him on both cheeks.

"I can't believe it. You came with him. Did you come to save me?" Jenny thought it romantic that Jonathan had come to save her.

"Yes actually I did. I didn't go to that meeting though because I figured Rick would handle it better than I would." Jonathan kissed his wife again and put his arms around her.

"It's a good thing you didn't go to the meeting though. The man said that if he caught Rick with you he would kill me right there on the spot." Jenny threw her arms around Jonathan's neck and kissed him once more.

"Well, are we going to get Evy back?" Jonathan said finally taking notice that Evy wasn't with Rick.

"No. This is all just a game to this man. He said I wouldn't get her back until he wanted it to end."

"This guy's kinda messed up, isn't he?" Jonathan looked down at Jenny and gave her a faint smile. Jenny did not return the smile, she was happy to be back with him but feared for Evy.


	6. Chapter 6: Restricked Love

**Chapter 6: Restricted Love**

Jenny, Jonathan, and Rick checked into two separate rooms. While Jenny and Jonathan went up to their room, Rick started checking times for tours of the Pyramids. He went to the front desk and the receptionist gave him a note from the man.

Dear Mr. O'Connell,

You will join the 7 a.m. tour and will leave the restricted section when I tell you. You will have 10 minutes with your wife then I must tell you some important information about myself. You will learn who I am and why I am doing this. Then your wife will come back in and give you the instructions that I told you about in our last meeting. So far I am happy with your conduct but make one move to call the cops or become late in an appointment that are in my instructions and your wife will no longer exist. I hope to see you at 7:30 a.m. exactly tomorrow.

Sincerely,

No One

Rick made his way up to Jonathan and Jenny's room and knocked on the door. Jenny opened the door wearing nothing but a bath towel and Rick was hoping that Jonathan had some clothes on because he walked into the room. Jonathan was sitting at the table to the left of the door way drinking what looked like coffee.

"Why are you in a towel?" Rick asked think that it was odd since the man had allowed her and Evy to take showers.

"I had to take a shower. I hadn't had my shower for today because that guy got us up early and told us that we had to be here to meet you so I just put some clothes on and walked out the door with him." Jenny ran into the bedroom and put her clothes on while Rick went over to talk to Jonathan.

"I got another letter from this guy. I have to go to a restricted place at a museum as you know and I'm allowed 10 minutes with Evy. The man will come back after 10 minutes and tell me who he is and why he's doing this. Evy will give me his next set of instructions and then I have to leave. Is there anything you want me to tell Evy while I have time to?" Rick looked back and forth, from Jenny to Jonathan.

"Tell her that I love her and hope she's being treated with respect." Jonathan said worrying about his sister more and more.

"You tell her for me that I want to see her back in your arms or I will come after her myself." Jenny said smiling at Rick.

"Alright. Is that what you really want me to tell her?"

"Yes. I am totally serious. I want her back just as much as you do. Maybe a little less seeing that she's your wife and all but she's still my friend."

"Alright. I'll tell her what both of you said. Mean while is there anything I can get you from the market? I want to go there and pick up some clothing for myself."

"You have plenty of clothing. Why would you want to go by more?" Jonathan wasn't really connecting with the reasons that Rick had.

"I want to get more clothes because I think we're going to be here longer than I packed for. I don't want to waist time with this guy by going and doing my laundry so I figured the easiest way is to get more clothes."

"You got a point there. I don't need anything because I bought everything that I needed when you left me at the market before you came here."

"I need some female things. Is it ok if I go with you?"

"I guess you can. It's not like I'm going to meet this guy there. I guess I'll go to my room and get the money. I'll meet you in the lobby again."

Rick ran to his room to pick up the money then went down to the lobby. He met Jenny down there and they went to the market place down the street from the hotel. Jenny went in one direction while Rick moved toward the clothing area. He had picked up a couple of Egyptian outfits and then went to find Jenny. As he moved toward the shop area Jenny came running at him.

"What's wrong with you?" Rick said in a shocked voice. There wasn't much that Jenny would run away from so this had to be something serious.

"I saw him. He was at the shop I was going to. Evy was with him. I didn't want to make a move because I know how this guy thinks and he wouldn't like it to see me again. So I ran to find you."

"What do you want me to do? All I can do is wait like you. If I make a move to grab Evy, he'll hurt her. Just go back and buy what you need. If he is still there try to stay out of sight."

Jenny took Rick's advice and went back to buy her supplies. When she entered the store again the man was gone. She came back out and outside of the shop Rick was waiting for her.

"Did you get what you needed?" Rick asked scaring her.

"Yes. I didn't see you there. Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not. I'm just waiting to see if the man comes back. If he did I would have gone in and told you."

Rick and Jenny made their way back to the hotel and met Jonathan at the lounge. They had supper then went back up to their rooms and said goodnight. Rick went into his room and set his alarm clock for 6:00 a.m. He wanted to make sure to get up in time to make it to breakfast then go to this tour to meet Evy and the man that was holding her. When the alarm went off Rick immediately got up and ready. He went down to the lounge to get some breakfast and when he was done it was only 6:10 so he decided to look around the hotel. He had been 15 minutes into his walk around when he found a store in the hotel. He thought that it had been stupid to travel 5 blocks away when the hotel had a store in it. Then he gave himself some credit and told himself that he didn't know because he hadn't had time to look around the hotel. The walk took a total of 25 minutes and Rick ran out of the hotel to catch a cab to the pyramids. He sat in the cab for what seemed like forever. The ride took 20 minutes and when he got out he had just caught the tour group. The tour went on for 15 minutes and then they boarded the bus. No one had noticed that they had an extra person on the bus so Rick was able to sit back and relax. When they had reached the museum it was 7:29 and Rick had 1 minute to find the building. It actually took him only 5 seconds to find it and he snuck in. He had 55 seconds to get to where Evy and the guy were. He had to travel down a couple flights of stairs and then found the man standing beside Evy talking to her.

"Ah Mr. O'Connell you made it. I was just saying to your wife that you might not get to see her because it is now 7:30 and you hadn't made it yet. I will stay to my side of the deal and allow 10 minutes with your wife." The man left Evy and Rick to their business.

Evy ran to Rick and threw her arms around his neck kissing him. She didn't stop kissing him even when he would try and pull away to talk to her. She finally stopped kissing him and wrapped her arms around his midsection. She gave him a hug so big that it almost crushed his ribs.

"How are you? Has he been treating you ok? Has he been feeding you?" Rick bombarded her with all kinds of questions.

"Rick your going to need to slow down with the questions. First, I'm fine. Second, he's been extremely nice to me and third I have eaten more then my share of food."

"Alright, I'll admit that I am going a little fast but it's only because I've worried about you ever since I read the note that you had left for Egypt. I've had problems thinking about anything but you since that incident. Now that I have you in front of me I can't help but hit you with all these questions that have been running through my mind."

"I know but I can only answer so many questions at one time and I can only answer questions about certain things. He won't allow me to talk about him so I can't tell you anything about him."

"He said he was going to do that when our 10 minutes was up. I will learn his name and why he's done this." Rick hadn't realized that 5 minutes was already up and he only had 5 more to enjoy his time with her. They hugged and kissed again then Rick remembered what Jenny and Jonathan wanted him to tell her. "By the way, Jenny says that you better come back in my arms or she'll come after you herself and Jonathan said that he misses you and wants to know if this guy is treating you good. Since you have already told me that I can tell them how you are."

"Tell Jenny that if she is willing to risk her life that much then go ahead. Even though he's nice I don't really like being away from the family. I have to go now. I love you Rick."

"I love you too." Evy walked away and the man came back standing in the shadows.

"Alright. It is now my turn to talk to you. You may not remember me but you do know me. I will get to my name when it is time for you to leave for now I will tell you why I am doing this. I do not expect money out of this, Mr. O'Connell so don't worry about ransom. I am doing this because out of all the people that I have fought against, you were the only one worth fighting. You had the spirit and will to live and yet you took the most dangerous assignments that you could find. If that hadn't been the case I guess none of this would have happened. I wanted to meet the man that survived the war. I wanted to see you face to face instead of seeing you behind a bush. You nearly killed me in the fields out there. I left that day with nothing but scars and my life changed. After I arrived home, my daughters had been taken from me by my wife and she left me because she thought I was being to reckless in my life. Not even my family wanted anything to do with me so I cooped myself up in Egypt. That was until I heard the news that you made it home and past all the anti-aircraft fire that was going on. I knew that I had to find you and get even. I don't plan to kill you or your wife but I hope to make your life a living hell just as mine has been. I figured that if I took your wife you would fall apart slowly and eventually kill yourself. I guess I was wrong and I guess you are a god because you seem to be living without her just fine. Since my plan has failed you will get another set of instructions. The decision you make after that will make your future." The man started to walk away when Rick stopped him.

"Who are you? What is your name?" Rick pulled him into the light and saw for the first time the scars that the man had been talking about. From his left ear, across his cheek, and then back up to his eye was a scar from what looked like a knife. The next scars that Rick saw was more like a burn then anything else. His right side had been scared from the bottom of his eye to his chin. Rick finally recognized the man. His name was Joshua Paris. Rick had met him only once and then the end. Rick was in a field as Joshua had said when he saw him. Joshua was marching toward him with his rife pointed at Rick. Rick started to run toward him and ducked just in time before a bullet hit him in the head. Rick came up from the ground and managed to hit Joshua with is knife that was on the end of his rife, from ear to eye. Joshua dropped to the ground and a mine went off 2 feet from him. The grass that was dead caught fire and burned straight to where Rick stood over Joshua. Rick ran from the spot and left Joshua to die but he didn't. It was true that Joshua was hit by the flames but managed to make his way back to camp. Rick stood there looking at him for awhile when words finally hit him. "I thought you were dead. That whole field caught fire that day."

"Yes it did. You left me there to die instead of trying to help me to safety. You could have pulled me off the field at least but no you left me to burn. For that I have stolen your wife and plan to make you feel worse then I felt that day." With those words ringing in Rick's ears, Joshua left. Evy came back and gave Rick the note and a final kiss good bye.

Rick left feeling twice as bad and feeling more worried about Evy. He got another cab and went back to the hotel. He went up to his room, flopped on the bed and read the note.

Dear Mr. O'Connell,

Our game is near it's end. By now you know who I am and you know that I want to get even with you for all that has happened to me. You will meet me and your wife at the dock tomorrow at 5 p.m. Again do not be late or misfortune will come to you. There you and your wife will decide your fates. I await you there.

Sincerely,

Joshua Paris


	7. Chapter 7: The Dock And Evy's Decision

**Chapter 7: The Dock And Evy's Decision**

When Rick awoke the next morning all he thought about was Evy and what Joshua meant by deciding his fate. As he walked passed Jenny and Jonathan's room Jenny poked her head out.

"Rick, are you ok? You look kind of pale." Jenny had apparently been up because she was dressed and her hair was neat.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about Evy. I really miss her. Listen I'm going do to breakfast, do you want to go?"

"Sure. Let me get my phone just in case Jonathan wants to know where I am. I don't want to leave a note because that might freak him out." Jenny went back into the room and came back out with her phone. Rick and Jenny walked down to breakfast talking about what Joshua had said and Rick gave detail of how he knew Joshua. "So he's just wanting to get back at you for you leaving him there? That dumb. Why would you save your enemy?"

"That's what I thought but I didn't say it to him because I figured it would make him mad. I didn't want him to hurt Evy so I kept my mouth shut." Rick took a sip of his coffee and sat the cup on the counter as they left the lounge.

"What do you think it means by 'you and your wife will decide your fates'?" Jenny asked as they made their way back upstairs.

"I don't know but I hope I get Evy back today. If I don't, I swear I'll kill him." Rick's face went serious.

"Let me go with you. I know that might mean risking Evy's life but I want to make sure he doesn't kill either of you. I'll hide if I have to but I want to go."

"I can't let you take that risk. I don't want him attacking you either. Please stay here with Jonathan."

"Fine but I want you to be careful and I want you to bring Evy back here." Jenny kissed his cheek as he went to his room.

Rick sat there for a while trying to figure out what he could do until 5. It was only 1 so he had 4 hours to do something. He then figured that he could catch some extra sleep so, he set his alarm again for 4:20 and laid on the bed. He sat there counting the minutes till he would see his wife again and drifted to sleep. The alarm went off 4 hours and 20 minutes later. It seemed to Rick that he had only slept for 20 minutes but he got up and went down stairs. He called a taxi and went to the docks. When he arrived there he saw two people: Evy and Joshua. He was happy that Joshua hadn't brought anyone else. Joshua had a cloth covering his right side and make-up covering the scar.

"Rick, now you know why I don't go outside. If I do I have to wear make-up and this to cover my face so no one freaks out about it. This is where you and your wife are going to choose your future. I will give you a few minutes with her before I give you two options." Evy went running to Rick and hugged him tight. She knew what was going to happen and wasn't about to let him go. She kissed him and then Joshua pulled her away. "Here are your choices. You may leave here alive or dead depending on your decision. Choice number 1 is that you walk away leaving your lovely wife behind with me and you move on. Choice 2, you try to take her back and die. Choice 3, we fight for her. Finally, Choice 4, you kill her and then yourself. You must choose between life or love her Rick."

Rick knew that choice 1 and 4 were out of the question. He began to remember when Evy had to give up part of her lung to save him. He wasn't going to just throw in the towel and give up. He was going to get her back or die trying.

"What make you think that my wife will leave me for you? She doesn't love you. Why would she love a man that kidnapped her from her husband?" Rick was looking for answers and wasn't wanting the answers he thought he would get.

"Would you like to tell him or should I?" Joshua asked her.

"Tell him what. There is nothing between us. I love my husband and always will no matter what you do to me. We have something that is stronger than love."

"Fine I will say it then. Rick, it's sad to see you looking at this woman when she has a secret of her own. While she was with me she has learned to love me. A disfigured man with no future and nothing to live for has found something to live for. She is willing to leave you for me so it's no point in fighting because if you kill me she will just kill herself to be with me."

"Rick, none of that's true. I still love yo…" She was cut off by a hand across her face. Joshua had slapped her so hard that she fell to the ground.

Rick leaped at him but before he made it Joshua had pulled out a knife.

"Let's fight then." Joshua swung the knife at Rick but Rick was able to dodged it.

Rick got up from the ground and pulled his own knife out. After that it was all a blur to Evy, as she passed out the last thing she saw was Rick nearly take a knife to the shoulder. As Rick and Joshua kept up the fight, Rick had nearly been stabbed 10 times and was hit once on the hand. He had swung his knife 4 or 5 times and him 3 times. As the battle between them became more heated Rick managed to knock the knife out of Joshua's hand. It fell into the water and Rick had the advantage. Rick swung the knife again and hit Joshua in the shoulder but wasn't able to pull the knife back out. Joshua pulled the knife out and was using it against Rick when they heard a gun fire. Rick looked at Joshua and then both men looked to the shore. There stood Jonathan, rifle in hand smoking. Jonathan had nailed Joshua in the upper chest just below his other shoulder. Rick picked the knife up and was about to plunge it into Joshua's heart when a hand stopped his. Evy had stopped Rick from killing the man that kidnapped her.

"Evy, what are you doing? This man tried to kill me."

"He doesn't deserve to die. He should have to live with life's consequences."

"He kidnapped you and nearly killed me and you want to leave him alive?" Rick was getting confused about Evy's feelings.

"He may be a monster but he is still just a man. He doesn't deserve to be killed. I also don't want to see you go to jail." Evy bent down and helped Joshua back up. Rick grabbed her hand and tried to pull her toward Jonathan but she let go. "Look, I'm sorry that your wife left you and I'm sorry that you lost your daughters but you shouldn't take it out on other people. It's your own fault that they left. If you would have stayed home like Rick wanted to you would have had a family to go back to. I forgive you for everything you've done. All you need to do now is go out and look for a person that will accept you for you and not judge you by these scars or past life." Evy kissed Joshua's left cheek and walked toward Rick.

"Evelyn, I thank you for what you've said and I will try to live by that." Joshua kissed her on the mouth for a while and then backed up toward the end of the dock. "Thank you again Evelyn." Joshua crossed his arms and jumped into the water. He swam to the bottom of the river and grabbed on to a support under the dock. After Rick had gotten over the fact that he had jumped in, he jumped in after him. Rick went to the bottom to look for him and finally found him floating under the dock. When Rick came up he shook his head at Evy. He got back onto the dock and left with Evy at his side.

As they made their way back, Rick couldn't help but think that this was the second time that he could have saved Joshua and he hadn't. He felt guilty about letting Joshua die this time when he actually wanted to do something for him.


	8. Chapter 8: The Man In The Shadow

**Chapter 8: The Man In The Shadow**

As Rick packed, Evy filled him in with everything that had happened to her while in the grasp of Joshua. Evy had told her whole story to Rick and Rick was glad to hear that Joshua was totally kind to her and didn't try anything. Rick finished packing and they went over to check on Jonathan and Jenny.

"You bout ready to go?" Rick asked seeing that some bags had been packed.

"Almost. I have to pack my personal items then I'm ready to go and Jonathan still has to pack his clothes."

"You mean after all that time it took me, he hasn't packed a single thing?" Rick was kind of agitated because he wanted to go home and sleep in his own bed.

"No, he packed his toothbrush, toothpaste, and his comb. It's his clothes that he hasn't packed." Jenny smiled at Rick and went to pack Jonathan's clothes. She could tell that Rick wanted to go home. She couldn't blame him, Egypt was a little to hot for her. She had gotten at least 2 sunburns since she got there.

"Well, Evy and I will be waiting in the lounge for you. I want to get a bite to eat before we leave." Rick and Evy walked down to the lounge and ordered some breakfast.

They went to sit down and Evy found a red rose at the booth.

"Must have been left there by the people who sat there last." Evy said picking it up and putting it on the table. Just as she sat down a waitress came to her and gave her a note.

Dear Evelyn and Rick,

I thank you for your kind words and I hope you two love each other for the rest of your lives. I also thank you, Rick, for trying to save me. You have proven me wrong. I believe that you would have saved my life if the fire hadn't started and moved so quickly. Evy, keep an eye on Rick for me and make sure you stay close to his side. I know a lot of people looking for him to try and kill him. He's a marked man so make sure you have a lot of security. I will miss talking to you, Evelyn. Tell Jenny that I miss her too. I will always be watching you to make sure you're safe.

Love,

The Man in the Shadow

"Where is the man that gave you this?" Evy asked the waitress.

"Over there." The waitress pointed to the right corner of the lounge were a man in dark clothing was standing. From where she sat, it looked like he had a piece of cloth covering his right side. She only saw it because it was white but the rest of him was immersed in darkness.

"Rick, he didn't die." Evy showed Rick the message and he wasn't to thrilled with it but the letter sounded as if Joshua would leave them alone. Rick raised his hand and waved to him as did Evy. Joshua raised his hand but did not wave it. He just raised it then lowered his hand and disappeared. "At least he means well." Evy laid her head on Rick's shoulder and he kissed her forehead.

A little later they were joined by Jenny and Jonathan and they ate their breakfast. When they were done they didn't leave right away but talked about everything and where their lives were headed.

"Jonathan and I still have to worry about this baby. It's been a couple months and we need to decide what to do with the baby situation that we have. Where is it going to sleep? Are we going to have a baby shower?" Jenny was hushed by Jonathan.

"We'll talk about it when we get home if we don't fall asleep first. Please don't get kidnapped this time. I don't want to travel back here to get you. It's to hot for a daily visit."

"Oh Jonathan. It wasn't our fault we got kidnapped and it's not that hot here. We've lived here before so you should be use to the heat. We need to get Jenny home before she has that baby. Her doctor's back in London. So as soon as we are done here we should leave so Jenny will be able to have the comfort of her doctor being a phone call away instead of trusting a doctor around here." Evy stopped that conversation then and there and the 4 of them went back to eating breakfast and drinking coffee or in Evy's case tea.

When they were ready, Rick called two taxis and helped get the bags in the trunk. A few hours later and they were at the airport. When they arrived home they went straight to bed and slept through most of the day. When they finally woke up they were greeted by the police.

"I see that you have found your wife and sister. We wanted to assure you that the man that had kidnapped them is now under custody of the police department."

"Take me to him." Rick told the officer and he hoped into the police car and went to the police department. "I want you to let this man go. He didn't do anything wrong. He wasn't the one who kidnapped my wife and sister." As Rick looked into the cell he felt less guilty for there sitting in the cell was Joshua himself.

"He wasn't the one? We were sure he was because we matched his handwriting with the handwriting on the note." The officer was sure that he was the one.

"No he was set up. This man was forced to write those letters by the people that actually kidnapped my wife and sister. His family was taken from him too by the same people." Rick smiled at Joshua and the officer opened the cell. "In fact this man helped me get my family back." He hugged Joshua and they walked out. "I'll give you a ride if you want me to."

"No I can walk to my apartment. I took Evelyn's advice and my wife and kids have come back to me." Joshua started to walk down the sidewalk and turned around. He waved good bye to Rick for the last time. Rick waved back and got into the car.

"They had Joshua but I convinced the police that he was innocent and they let him go." He told Evy, Jenny, and Jonathan.

"Why would you do that!" Jonathan said. He hadn't read the letter but Rick threw it at him. Jonathan read it and said, "I know understand why you let him go. Because you believed his bull shit. You should believe everything that you read Evy. Now the man's out there and he could be looking to kidnap you again."

"The man's back with his family. He won't try to get Evy again. He's a nice guy if you get to know him." Rick and Evy knew that he wouldn't come to get her. He was going to protect Rick and her for the rest of their lives.

**The End**


End file.
